I had never heard of this competition until yesterday when the winner was announced on Slashdot. The winner is the Gravia 350, seen at the right here. It’s a floor lamp, meaning it’s about as tall as me. There are weights that start at the top and very slowly slide to the bottom. As they slide, they create enough electricity to light the equivalent of a 40 watt light bulb. When they get to the bottom, you slide them to the top and it starts again. That’s really cool. Virginia Tech has a cool article about the lamp.

The main page for the competition lists all the entries, and they’re ALL cool. Some are a little more practical than others, but I love the creativity and inventiveness. Putting a small rechargeable battery into your bicycle for charging is brilliant. Making it so you can plug your cellphone into it is even more brilliant.